Taking a "staycation" this year? Or maybe you're having visitors from out of town. Either way, your sightseeing can be more fun if you enrich it with some reading about our great city. Here are five books you might consider:

Book Scavenger - Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Love San Francisco? Scavenger hunts? Social media? This book is for you! It's the story of twelve-year-old Emily who is delighted when her family moves to San Francisco because her literary idol Garrison Griswold lives there. But things are not as she expected. Soon, she and a new friend are caught up in an exciting puzzle.

Along with reading the book, join the Book Scavenger Game, where you read books, hide them in a public place, and leave clues through social media for other readers all over the country to find.

San Francisco, Baby - Ward Jenkins
Whether you have visitors or just plan to show your kids some sights in the City, this book is a good "tour guide" for younger children. The City is explored from a child's point of view, and your young ones will enjoy hearing it read aloud. Good reading practice for older siblings and fun for the family.

This is San Francisco - Miroslav Sasek
A classic children's book that all ages will love. Deceptively simple in text, this book is worth savoring for the impressions created by its illustrations of San Francisco's most famous places, painted "at cable-car slant," to communicate the beauty and sophistication of the city.

The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
Described as "a brilliant literary work, as well as a thriller, a love story, and a dark, dry comedy," Dashiell Hammett's mystery novel The Maltese Falcon is almost synonymous with San Francisco. If you know the story only from the movie, you've missed the good parts. Read the book, take a walking tour, and get to know one of the best stories of the City.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan
Here is a story that captures the new spirit of the City and the Bay Area and takes us on an adventure with appeal for techies and book lovers as well. Clay Jannon, an unemployed web designer, is looking for work in San Francisco, "a good place for walks if your legs are strong." When he sees a Help Wanted sign in the window of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, the mystery begins!

The Literacy and Language Center staff would love to hear about San Francisco books you would recommend. Let us know next time you come by.

Please enter your name & comment

Security CheckPlease enter both words in the box below, separated by a space.